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Little Bridge Island #2
No Offense
A broken engagement only gave Molly Montgomery additional incentive to follow her dream job from the Colorado Rockies to the Florida Keys. Now, as Little Bridge Island Public Library’s head of children’s services, Molly hopes the messiest thing in her life will be her sticky-note covered desk. But fate—in the form of a newborn left in the restroom—has other ideas. So does the sheriff who comes to investigate the “abandonment”. The man’s arrogance is almost as distracting as his blue eyes. Almost…
Recently divorced, John has been having trouble adjusting to single life as well as single parenthood. But something in Molly’s beautiful smile gives John hope that his old life on Little Bridge might suddenly hold new promise—if only they can get over their differences.
Recently divorced, John has been having trouble adjusting to single life as well as single parenthood. But something in Molly’s beautiful smile gives John hope that his old life on Little Bridge might suddenly hold new promise—if only they can get over their differences.
340 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2020
About the author
Meg Cabot
288 books33.7k followersLibrarian note: AKA Jenny Carroll (1-800-Where-R-You series), AKA Patricia Cabot (historical romance novels).
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
Meg Cabot was born on February 1, 1967, during the Chinese astrological year of the Fire Horse, a notoriously unlucky sign. Fortunately she grew up in Bloomington, Indiana, where few people were aware of the stigma of being a fire horse -- at least until Meg became a teenager, when she flunked freshman Algebra twice, then decided to cut her own bangs. After six years as an undergrad at Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City (in the middle of a sanitation worker strike) to pursue a career as an illustrator, at which she failed miserably, forcing her to turn to her favorite hobby--writing novels--for emotional succor. She worked various jobs to pay the rent, including a decade-long stint as the assistant manager of a 700 bed freshmen dormitory at NYU, a position she still occasionally misses.
She is now the author of nearly fifty books for both adults and teens, selling fifteen million copies worldwide, many of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers, most notably The Princess Diaries series, which is currently being published in over 38 countries, and was made into two hit movies by Disney. In addition, Meg wrote the Mediator and 1-800-Where-R-You? series (on which the television series, Missing, was based), two All-American Girl books, Teen Idol, Avalon High, How to Be Popular, Pants on Fire, Jinx, a series of novels written entirely in email format (Boy Next Door, Boy Meets Girl, and Every Boy's Got One), a mystery series (Size 12 Is Not Fat/ Size 14 Is Not Fat Either/Big Boned), and a chick-lit series called Queen of Babble.
Meg is now writing a new children's series called Allie Finkle's Rules for Girls. Her new paranormal series, Abandon, debuts in Summer of 2011.
Meg currently divides her time between Key West, Indiana, and New York City with a primary cat (one-eyed Henrietta), various back-up cats, and her husband, who doesn't know he married a fire horse. Please don't tell him.
Series:
* Airhead
* The Princess Diaries
* Mediator
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,572 reviews
August 13, 2020
i feel like i could’ve went my whole without reading a romance between a librarian and a sheriff.
ngl this book comes off a bit misogynistic at times when it comes to the dad. i get hes a grump sheriff but i hate him. the librarian character was so quirky and her entire personality was that she reads and i hate when authors do that because i think it’s a lazy way to get readers to relate to the character instead of letting them organically relate. i don’t think the romance was convincing at all but i did like the detective part of the story and it was the only thing that kept me wanting to read the story.
ngl this book comes off a bit misogynistic at times when it comes to the dad. i get hes a grump sheriff but i hate him. the librarian character was so quirky and her entire personality was that she reads and i hate when authors do that because i think it’s a lazy way to get readers to relate to the character instead of letting them organically relate. i don’t think the romance was convincing at all but i did like the detective part of the story and it was the only thing that kept me wanting to read the story.
May 28, 2021
Oh Meg Cabot, you have let me down.
No, this isn't her fault. This story was probably no better or worse than the dozen stories of hers I have read over the years. The writing was light, frothy and predictable as many of her novels are. My problem with this specific novel however, and what made me almost stopped reading within the first fifty pages, was the main heroine Molly, aka the children's librarian who wasn't a very good librarian/government worker.
Look I have worked in public libraries for almost fifteen years now and I have seen a lot (especially with the advent of technology and social media). There are certain things you do and certain things you do not do. You do report an abandoned infant (as Molly did). You do not berate a officer of the law for doing his job which is to then search for the mother of the infant to see if she is at fault for abandonment (as Molly did). Furthermore you do not go onto the community's Facebook page in which everyone is incorrectly speculating widely about the abandoned child and then comment with your personal account on the post stating exactly what happened while the investigation is still open and ongoing.
"As the person who discovered the baby, Molly felt she was the one most qualified to attest not only to the infant's correct sex, but also to the exact manner in which she has been found"
*facepalm* Also if you have a sixteen year old at a children's program using cookies in suggestive sexual positions to the disgust and horror of the nearby parents and small children you kick him out of the program. You do not mollify or feel sorry for him. He leaves because he is acting inappropriate at at library program. That's it. (Also sidenote, the teen in question knows 110% he is acting inappropriate. He admits as much but also says she's overreacting and SHE GIVES IN)
There are more instances throughout the book in which I got annoyed. For example Molly is interviewed for the local paper due to finding the infant and she gives out specific information re: the investigation that the police department specifically asked her NOT TO but it's okay because she didn't mean to. *facepalm again*
I think Molly is supposed to come across as quirky and empathetic to readers but for me, she came across as intrusive and annoying. I really didn't understand how John could like her when she was making everything harder than it needed to be because she is a GOOD PERSON WHO CARES ABOUT OTHERS YOU COLD HEARTED MONSTER OF A SHERIFF. *sigh* This is why I don't read books that involve librarians, they always disappoint.
That said there was a fluffy cat named Fluffy. I did enjoy that.
No, this isn't her fault. This story was probably no better or worse than the dozen stories of hers I have read over the years. The writing was light, frothy and predictable as many of her novels are. My problem with this specific novel however, and what made me almost stopped reading within the first fifty pages, was the main heroine Molly, aka the children's librarian who wasn't a very good librarian/government worker.
Look I have worked in public libraries for almost fifteen years now and I have seen a lot (especially with the advent of technology and social media). There are certain things you do and certain things you do not do. You do report an abandoned infant (as Molly did). You do not berate a officer of the law for doing his job which is to then search for the mother of the infant to see if she is at fault for abandonment (as Molly did). Furthermore you do not go onto the community's Facebook page in which everyone is incorrectly speculating widely about the abandoned child and then comment with your personal account on the post stating exactly what happened while the investigation is still open and ongoing.
"As the person who discovered the baby, Molly felt she was the one most qualified to attest not only to the infant's correct sex, but also to the exact manner in which she has been found"
*facepalm* Also if you have a sixteen year old at a children's program using cookies in suggestive sexual positions to the disgust and horror of the nearby parents and small children you kick him out of the program. You do not mollify or feel sorry for him. He leaves because he is acting inappropriate at at library program. That's it. (Also sidenote, the teen in question knows 110% he is acting inappropriate. He admits as much but also says she's overreacting and SHE GIVES IN)
There are more instances throughout the book in which I got annoyed. For example Molly is interviewed for the local paper due to finding the infant and she gives out specific information re: the investigation that the police department specifically asked her NOT TO but it's okay because she didn't mean to. *facepalm again*
I think Molly is supposed to come across as quirky and empathetic to readers but for me, she came across as intrusive and annoying. I really didn't understand how John could like her when she was making everything harder than it needed to be because she is a GOOD PERSON WHO CARES ABOUT OTHERS YOU COLD HEARTED MONSTER OF A SHERIFF. *sigh* This is why I don't read books that involve librarians, they always disappoint.
That said there was a fluffy cat named Fluffy. I did enjoy that.
August 16, 2020
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Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
...suddenly, for the first time in her career,
she found herself calling the police because of a child.
As a first time Meg Cabot reader, I was ready to be pleasantly surprised. I know that she has quite the fan-base with her YA stories, but coming across an upcoming adult release by her that centered around a librarian and a cop (which is a favorite trope of mine in romance novels), I was eager to dive into this story.
The book began on a cringe-worthy and startling scene involving human-shaped cookies and the fondling of them by a teenager in front of children, during a children's activity at the library. I'm aware that it was meant to be funny, but this instance, like others in the book, felt forced.
Our leads Molly and John are, let's face it, expected to fall in love. This is, after all, the main point of a romance book in this vein. However, they don't so much fall in love as get shoved together by the author. It didn't read as something that naturally happened between them, and I felt no spark for their relationship. I don't care if two people fall in love at first sight or over a long period of time, but I want to see it happen organically. Molly—while meaning to be sassy, independent and a go-getter—comes across as bossy, pushy and meddling. John, on the other hand, lacked in personality and was fairly dislikable and belittling whenever he had a scene that attempted to connect him with the others working under him at the Sheriff's Office.
Barring the love story of a book that falls short as soon as I have an issue feeling an attachment for the main couple, I was hoping for some other saving grace. But Cabot tends to tell the reader rather than show far too often, there were a couple of instances of generalizations on characters based on sexuality and/or race that did not sit well with me, and the book was overall dull. My best takeaway from this story was the factoid that Molly spews—among the many that she incessantly spews either verbally toward someone else or in her own head—concerning the behind-the-scenes on the writing of Nancy Drew books, which was fairly interesting to learn and something that I had not expected despite the many times I've devoured a ND story.
This was, unfortunately, one of the few exciting tidbits.
Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow Paperbacks for this ARC. All thoughts and opinions are mine.
...suddenly, for the first time in her career,
she found herself calling the police because of a child.
As a first time Meg Cabot reader, I was ready to be pleasantly surprised. I know that she has quite the fan-base with her YA stories, but coming across an upcoming adult release by her that centered around a librarian and a cop (which is a favorite trope of mine in romance novels), I was eager to dive into this story.
The book began on a cringe-worthy and startling scene involving human-shaped cookies and the fondling of them by a teenager in front of children, during a children's activity at the library. I'm aware that it was meant to be funny, but this instance, like others in the book, felt forced.
Our leads Molly and John are, let's face it, expected to fall in love. This is, after all, the main point of a romance book in this vein. However, they don't so much fall in love as get shoved together by the author. It didn't read as something that naturally happened between them, and I felt no spark for their relationship. I don't care if two people fall in love at first sight or over a long period of time, but I want to see it happen organically. Molly—while meaning to be sassy, independent and a go-getter—comes across as bossy, pushy and meddling. John, on the other hand, lacked in personality and was fairly dislikable and belittling whenever he had a scene that attempted to connect him with the others working under him at the Sheriff's Office.
Barring the love story of a book that falls short as soon as I have an issue feeling an attachment for the main couple, I was hoping for some other saving grace. But Cabot tends to tell the reader rather than show far too often, there were a couple of instances of generalizations on characters based on sexuality and/or race that did not sit well with me, and the book was overall dull. My best takeaway from this story was the factoid that Molly spews—among the many that she incessantly spews either verbally toward someone else or in her own head—concerning the behind-the-scenes on the writing of Nancy Drew books, which was fairly interesting to learn and something that I had not expected despite the many times I've devoured a ND story.
This was, unfortunately, one of the few exciting tidbits.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 14, 2020
Cute and cozy. Meg Cabot delighted me with this charming small town tale. This is the second book in the Little Bridge Island series, but it can absolutely be read as a standalone. Molly is the new children’s librarian on Little Bridge Island. She is charmed by her new peaceful surroundings that is until she finds an abandoned baby in the library bathroom. John grew up in Little Bridge and after some time away he has now returned as town sheriff. Molly and John have an instant attraction to one another, but neither of them are looking to be in a relationship. What they don’t know is... there’s nothing like a small town Mystery to bring two people together.
This was an easy breezy read with some definite cozy mystery vibes. Love the setting of Little Bridge Island and the sense of community. Molly was sweet and caring and of course I loved her passion for books. John was a good guy and I adored his relationship with his daughter. There were lots of laugh out loud moments and plenty of adorable animals. This was just a sweet feel good story with a little romance... a little mystery... a little steam... a little humor... and a lot of charm. Piper Goodeve narrates the audiobook and gave the story the perfect tone. Loved the sweet sass she gave Molly and the gruff exterior she gave John.
This book in emojis 🐱 📚 🐶 📸 🐬 👶🏼 🐐 🕺 👩❤️💋👨
*** Big thank you to William Morrow and Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
This was an easy breezy read with some definite cozy mystery vibes. Love the setting of Little Bridge Island and the sense of community. Molly was sweet and caring and of course I loved her passion for books. John was a good guy and I adored his relationship with his daughter. There were lots of laugh out loud moments and plenty of adorable animals. This was just a sweet feel good story with a little romance... a little mystery... a little steam... a little humor... and a lot of charm. Piper Goodeve narrates the audiobook and gave the story the perfect tone. Loved the sweet sass she gave Molly and the gruff exterior she gave John.
This book in emojis 🐱 📚 🐶 📸 🐬 👶🏼 🐐 🕺 👩❤️💋👨
*** Big thank you to William Morrow and Harper Audio for my gifted copy of this book. All opinions are my own. ***
December 13, 2020
The second book in the Little Bridge Island series by Meg Cabot is as light and enjoyable as the first one, No Judgments. This time we follow the story of a new children's section librarian Molly Montgomery who finds a new born baby girl in the library bathroom. Sheriff John Hartwell promises to do everything possible to find the baby's parents...and (no spoilers) he does.
In the meantime sparks of attraction fly between the attractive librarian and the sherif, who also happens to be a newly divorced father of a teenage daughter.Molly and John do not always see eye to eye on how to proceed with the case. Understandably, the sheriff thinks Molly should let him do his job investigating the crimes, while Molly, a keen lover of amateur sleuths and true-crime podcasts, sometimes thinks John lacks empathy towards the victims.
The story was sweet and it was great to revisit the setting of a little island where people do not lock their doors and try to help out those in need.
Meg Cabot has a great writing style- it is light, enjoyable and very easy to follow. You can always rely on her for an entertaining read.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC provided in exchang efor an honest opinion.
In the meantime sparks of attraction fly between the attractive librarian and the sherif, who also happens to be a newly divorced father of a teenage daughter.Molly and John do not always see eye to eye on how to proceed with the case. Understandably, the sheriff thinks Molly should let him do his job investigating the crimes, while Molly, a keen lover of amateur sleuths and true-crime podcasts, sometimes thinks John lacks empathy towards the victims.
The story was sweet and it was great to revisit the setting of a little island where people do not lock their doors and try to help out those in need.
Meg Cabot has a great writing style- it is light, enjoyable and very easy to follow. You can always rely on her for an entertaining read.
Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC provided in exchang efor an honest opinion.
October 6, 2020
This is second in a series, but they're pretty disconnected. There aren't many elements beyond simply setting that connect these, so feel free to go in any order. Maybe don't pick this one first, though...
I'm not sure what Cabot was thinking with Molly, but it so missed its mark with me. Molly is a librarian, but it's like she thinks that's a holy calling throughout the book. She even acts/thinks about her relationship with her patrons as if there's something like the protection of the confessional about it. And she's a children's librarian so she's actually thinking about the things she would hide from a child's parents. So she's literally the caricature of a librarian as dreamed up by a fundamentalist preacher only from the other side so that it's a good thing. Which was weird.
But worse than that is her holier-than-thou judgmentalism towards everybody else, but especially John. And here's where it lost me. So a sub-theme of this story is about people admitting when they're wrong and having the strength-in-humility to apologize. And this is first demonstrated by John when Molly tells him about a situation with his daughter and he thinks his primary duty is to protect the daughter. Only he finds out it's protection she doesn't want, that she's brave and determined like he is. So he apologizes appropriately to Molly and that's actually a very moving part of the story. Like I needed an excuse to crush more on the capable, strong man who does his best for those around him. And I knew when it happened that for story balance, we'd need a parallel event with Molly or it'd just fall flat.
And to her credit, Cabot does deliver a reciprocal event. Only when it's Molly's turn, she's not just wrong about John's evaluation of a witness, she goes the extra step of naming it evidence of his fundamental lack of empathy and thus makes him someone she can't be with. So it's a dark moment, and makes her not just wrong on facts, but wrong on judgment and caring and understanding of John. In other words, it's a complete betrayal of the relationship, what little there is of it.
And I was already having trouble with their relationship because there just wasn't any spark there and their entire interactions centered on attraction and desire and not so much on respect, understanding, or caring. Frankly, I don't see what John's getting out of this whole thing except the prospect of sex with a hot librarian. Which isn't nothing, I suppose, but I kind of wanted him to move on from there to someone worth his while.
So yeah, this is two stars and possibly the lowest I've rated a Meg Cabot adult romance. This makes me sad.
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance. Frankly, I didn't buy it at all. I mean, I know a lot of book lovers and none of them would put books into stacks all over their living space (ugh, scratch them all up!) and even fewer would leave them close enough to their furniture to have them falling down all just because people move . . . wrong.
I'm not sure what Cabot was thinking with Molly, but it so missed its mark with me. Molly is a librarian, but it's like she thinks that's a holy calling throughout the book. She even acts/thinks about her relationship with her patrons as if there's something like the protection of the confessional about it. And she's a children's librarian so she's actually thinking about the things she would hide from a child's parents. So she's literally the caricature of a librarian as dreamed up by a fundamentalist preacher only from the other side so that it's a good thing. Which was weird.
But worse than that is her holier-than-thou judgmentalism towards everybody else, but especially John. And here's where it lost me. So a sub-theme of this story is about people admitting when they're wrong and having the strength-in-humility to apologize. And this is first demonstrated by John when Molly tells him about a situation with his daughter and he thinks his primary duty is to protect the daughter. Only he finds out it's protection she doesn't want, that she's brave and determined like he is. So he apologizes appropriately to Molly and that's actually a very moving part of the story. Like I needed an excuse to crush more on the capable, strong man who does his best for those around him. And I knew when it happened that for story balance, we'd need a parallel event with Molly or it'd just fall flat.
And to her credit, Cabot does deliver a reciprocal event. Only when it's Molly's turn, she's not just wrong about John's evaluation of a witness, she goes the extra step of naming it evidence of his fundamental lack of empathy and thus makes him someone she can't be with. So it's a dark moment, and makes her not just wrong on facts, but wrong on judgment and caring and understanding of John. In other words, it's a complete betrayal of the relationship, what little there is of it.
And I was already having trouble with their relationship because there just wasn't any spark there and their entire interactions centered on attraction and desire and not so much on respect, understanding, or caring. Frankly, I don't see what John's getting out of this whole thing except the prospect of sex with a hot librarian. Which isn't nothing, I suppose, but I kind of wanted him to move on from there to someone worth his while.
So yeah, this is two stars and possibly the lowest I've rated a Meg Cabot adult romance. This makes me sad.
A note about Steamy: There's a single explicit sex scene putting this on the low end of my steam tolerance. Frankly, I didn't buy it at all. I mean, I know a lot of book lovers and none of them would put books into stacks all over their living space (ugh, scratch them all up!) and even fewer would leave them close enough to their furniture to have them falling down all just because people move . . . wrong.
April 26, 2020
I really liked this one!!!! Full review to come!!!
November 22, 2021
No Offense is the second book in the Little Bridge Island series. I would describe this book as a combination between Chick Lit and Romantic Comedy.
This book has a connection to the previous one as it is set on the same island in the Florida Keys. However, it can definitely be read as a standalone. While the sheriff was briefly in the last book. The main characters from No Judgments play almost no part in this book.
The narrators of No Offense are Molly and John (3rd person POVs). Molly is the island's children's librarian. And John is the sheriff.
Romance does play a part in this book. However, there is a bit of a mystery to do with break-ins and a baby. And that was a bigger part of the story.
I liked both narrators. Molly was so kind. And I enjoyed watching her try to solve the case. The sheriff was funny. He tried so hard. But was so clueless re: romance.
I did enjoy the romance aspect of the story. However, to me it felt a bit rushed. I think that the romance aspect could have been developed more fully.
I am so glad that the author showed us what happened with the Snappettes (dance group). That was my favorite part of the book. The last chapter was definitely the best part of the book.
Overall, the story was cute and entertaining. It was a quick and enjoyable read.
Thanks to edelweiss and William Morrow Paperbacks for allowing me to read this book.
This book has a connection to the previous one as it is set on the same island in the Florida Keys. However, it can definitely be read as a standalone. While the sheriff was briefly in the last book. The main characters from No Judgments play almost no part in this book.
The narrators of No Offense are Molly and John (3rd person POVs). Molly is the island's children's librarian. And John is the sheriff.
Romance does play a part in this book. However, there is a bit of a mystery to do with break-ins and a baby. And that was a bigger part of the story.
I liked both narrators. Molly was so kind. And I enjoyed watching her try to solve the case. The sheriff was funny. He tried so hard. But was so clueless re: romance.
I did enjoy the romance aspect of the story. However, to me it felt a bit rushed. I think that the romance aspect could have been developed more fully.
I am so glad that the author showed us what happened with the Snappettes (dance group). That was my favorite part of the book. The last chapter was definitely the best part of the book.
Overall, the story was cute and entertaining. It was a quick and enjoyable read.
Thanks to edelweiss and William Morrow Paperbacks for allowing me to read this book.
August 14, 2020
I really didn’t like this book. I had high hopes since it was about a librarian and it sounded so cute. Nope, I couldn’t stand the librarian character! She was very self righteous and made a lot of assumptions about a police investigation she had no right to stick her nose in. I also didn’t like how the sheriff would make decisions in his head based on how she would view them. At one point rolled my eyes so hard my head went all the way back. This one just didn’t work for me at all and I won’t be picking up any other books in this series.
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October 30, 2020I'm generally not too bothered by things that are "unrealistic" in fiction or like, you know, when fictional science doesn't hold up or whatever, but I had to DNF this book before even finishing the first chapter due to
1) bad LIBRARY science!! the main character is supposed to be a head children's librarian who seems TERRIBLE at her job. but in a way where the book thinks she's good at her job.
2) the love interest is a cop?! in 2020?!
MEG. I'm disappointed. HRH Mia Thermopolis would never.
1) bad LIBRARY science!! the main character is supposed to be a head children's librarian who seems TERRIBLE at her job. but in a way where the book thinks she's good at her job.
2) the love interest is a cop?! in 2020?!
MEG. I'm disappointed. HRH Mia Thermopolis would never.
September 21, 2020
I can officially knock off ‘read a Meg Cabot’ off my imaginary ‘authors to read’ list.
This wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great and I say that simply because there were times that rather than focus on the book, it served more as background noise and My mind would be somewhere else. There were definitely parts that didn’t hold my attention. This is the romance between a librarian and the sheriff with a mystery element woven in. I like how librarians literally are super heroes and in this one, and I like how in this book we see librarians saving the day in so many different ways, which I’m sure is very true of their day to day. It felt like a nod to those who love to read, the amazing work librarians do and those aspects of the book impacted me more than the romance or the mystery I think. I’ll give Meg Cabot another try eventually. This one was just okay.
This wasn’t bad but it wasn’t great and I say that simply because there were times that rather than focus on the book, it served more as background noise and My mind would be somewhere else. There were definitely parts that didn’t hold my attention. This is the romance between a librarian and the sheriff with a mystery element woven in. I like how librarians literally are super heroes and in this one, and I like how in this book we see librarians saving the day in so many different ways, which I’m sure is very true of their day to day. It felt like a nod to those who love to read, the amazing work librarians do and those aspects of the book impacted me more than the romance or the mystery I think. I’ll give Meg Cabot another try eventually. This one was just okay.
September 11, 2020
Don't know which V personality clicked on this one, but no. I think I was lured by the idea of island life in the blurb, but wow, not my kinda book.
February 15, 2023
I used to like Meg Cabot's books, but they have become much less about the story and more about promoting the party line. In this one, the characters are so worried about being politically correct that I started to pretend I was reading a satire. (If I thought of it as a satire, I could justify finishing it.)
Just a few examples of what I mean: He asks himself whether the sexual harassment video he watched at work applies to any step he's about to take in his quest to get into her pants. (Their interest in each other seems to be no more than lust -- they don't really connect in any other way.) She wrestles with how she could possibly call the police on a patron she believes is a thief because that's violating the sacred patron-librarian bond, and she also can't believe the sheriff would consider arresting the mother of an abandoned baby because what mother would abandon her own baby? (In both cases, a change of plot direction kept her naivety intact and prevented her from having to do anything that would violate her dubious conscience.)
My favorite example of unintentional satire? When he asks her out for the first time, suggesting dinner at an excellent steakhouse, they reassure each other that they would only ever eat steak on a special occasion because steak is bad for the environment.
Just a few examples of what I mean: He asks himself whether the sexual harassment video he watched at work applies to any step he's about to take in his quest to get into her pants. (Their interest in each other seems to be no more than lust -- they don't really connect in any other way.) She wrestles with how she could possibly call the police on a patron she believes is a thief because that's violating the sacred patron-librarian bond, and she also can't believe the sheriff would consider arresting the mother of an abandoned baby because what mother would abandon her own baby? (In both cases, a change of plot direction kept her naivety intact and prevented her from having to do anything that would violate her dubious conscience.)
My favorite example of unintentional satire? When he asks her out for the first time, suggesting dinner at an excellent steakhouse, they reassure each other that they would only ever eat steak on a special occasion because steak is bad for the environment.
August 16, 2020
2.5
Meg, amiga, o que tá havendo com você? (Ou será que cresci?)
Meg, amiga, o que tá havendo com você? (Ou será que cresci?)
December 31, 2020
2 stars
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
My overall feeling about this contemporary romance book is a solid "meh". It's not the worst I've read, but I won't remember what this book is about in a week. The writing is fine, but the two characters aren't interesting, the romance is very clunky and the side plots kind of ridiculous.
Molly moves from Colorado after she breaks up with her finance to be the new children's librarian at the Little Bridges Library in the Florida Keys. One day she discovers an abandoned newborn in the bathroom of the library and is met by newly divorced Sheriff John. Per romantic book formula, their initial encounter is fraught with miscommunication and both sides are left thinking the other person is hot but insufferable. The duo are then shoved together over and over again until they fall into each other's arms, and then into bed. That's it. Other than a goofy cold case about a string of burglaries which the Sheriff has been unable to solve (and for which he is reminded of by all of the island's "quirky" characters), not much else happens.
I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters and felt the story both dragged on and was rushed at the same time. Yeah, I don't know. The corny ending had me *literally* rolling my eyes. I've read books from this author before and enjoyed them, so hope this is just a one-off that didn't resonate with me.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
You can read all of my reviews at Nerd Girl Loves Books.
My overall feeling about this contemporary romance book is a solid "meh". It's not the worst I've read, but I won't remember what this book is about in a week. The writing is fine, but the two characters aren't interesting, the romance is very clunky and the side plots kind of ridiculous.
Molly moves from Colorado after she breaks up with her finance to be the new children's librarian at the Little Bridges Library in the Florida Keys. One day she discovers an abandoned newborn in the bathroom of the library and is met by newly divorced Sheriff John. Per romantic book formula, their initial encounter is fraught with miscommunication and both sides are left thinking the other person is hot but insufferable. The duo are then shoved together over and over again until they fall into each other's arms, and then into bed. That's it. Other than a goofy cold case about a string of burglaries which the Sheriff has been unable to solve (and for which he is reminded of by all of the island's "quirky" characters), not much else happens.
I didn't feel any chemistry between the main characters and felt the story both dragged on and was rushed at the same time. Yeah, I don't know. The corny ending had me *literally* rolling my eyes. I've read books from this author before and enjoyed them, so hope this is just a one-off that didn't resonate with me.
Thank you to NetGalley and HarperCollins Publishers for the free digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
June 19, 2020
Not sure if it was just me or not but ‘No Offense’ fell flat. There just wasn’t much sizzle between our librarian Molly and Sheriff John, who became a recently divorce single father and even with all the mystery surrounding the found baby, high school and home thief and burglaries I had ended up skimming through a few chapters out of boredom. It’s sad to report that this failed to deliver but would definitely reconsider reading something else by this author in the future.
Read
October 6, 2020When Little Bridge Island Public Library’s children’s librarian Molly Montgomery is alerted to a baby in the restroom at the library, Sheriff John Hartwell is immediately on the case. But the librarian and the sheriff are at odds as to whether this is a criminal offense or a confused mistake. Each is attracted to the other but they butt heads on the law versus common decency. Plus, there is the matter of the High School Thief who no one knows for sure who the perpetrator is. Also, divorced Sheriff Hartwell has been asked by his daughter to be a dancing dad in a Mother-Daughter dance troupe fundraiser at the high school. Too much is going on in this tiny Florida Keys island. Can romance blossom between the librarian and the sheriff when they are continually at odds? Who is the baby’s mother? Who is the High School Thief? Will Sheriff Hartwell wow the crowd at the dance recital?
All these questions and more will be answered in this delightfully humorous romance with a touch of mystery. I highly recommend this book to get away from reality with this light heartfelt romance! Escapism at its best!--Sara H.
All these questions and more will be answered in this delightfully humorous romance with a touch of mystery. I highly recommend this book to get away from reality with this light heartfelt romance! Escapism at its best!--Sara H.
April 29, 2022
Three and a half stars. I love books and libraries and bookstores. This books is about a librarian falling in love with the town Sheriff. Really sweet. I liked that the couple in question were over thirty. I enjoyed the mystery. Really fun to read.
September 20, 2020
This is another adorable romance by Meg Cabot! While I do think it was sweet and I absolutely love the dynamics of Little Bridge Island and its residents, I found this book lacking. The banter between Molly and John is cute. The novel has a mystery plotline, which kept me turning the pages, but it fell a little flat at the end. There isn’t really a twist, and I realized after finishing that there wasn’t a climactic scene. Molly and John were always wishy washy in their relationship (will they, won’t they, but without high stakes). So I suppose the last time they were “won’t they” was the climax? Still not sure.
3 stars, because of the writing style, but I wasn’t impressed with the plot.
3 stars, because of the writing style, but I wasn’t impressed with the plot.
August 26, 2020
I don't know which of these is most offensive:
1. Cabot wrote a book that is directly trying to rehabilitate the image of American police officers (sorry, SHERIFFS) in the midst of a global civil rights movement protesting police brutality;
2. The villain of the piece is, I shit you not, espousing EVIL notions of redistribution of property - mainly evil because Cabot, like most right-wingers, mixes up 'personal' property (your shit) and 'public' property (clean air, water, the literal and digital commons);
3. This is a fucking FIRST DRAFT with aimless characters who do things like have a fight about something they realise is dumb in the morning, say so, and it's all over with - THREE TIMES.
What happened to the person who wrote the Princess Diaries? I guess I excused the concept of a princess who happily wore couture and flew in private jets while fully believing she was an advocate for Greenpeace because you can do that when you're 15. But maybe the rot was there all along. I'm going to re-read TPD and find out ... I hope to god I'm wrong.
1. Cabot wrote a book that is directly trying to rehabilitate the image of American police officers (sorry, SHERIFFS) in the midst of a global civil rights movement protesting police brutality;
2. The villain of the piece is, I shit you not, espousing EVIL notions of redistribution of property - mainly evil because Cabot, like most right-wingers, mixes up 'personal' property (your shit) and 'public' property (clean air, water, the literal and digital commons);
3. This is a fucking FIRST DRAFT with aimless characters who do things like have a fight about something they realise is dumb in the morning, say so, and it's all over with - THREE TIMES.
What happened to the person who wrote the Princess Diaries? I guess I excused the concept of a princess who happily wore couture and flew in private jets while fully believing she was an advocate for Greenpeace because you can do that when you're 15. But maybe the rot was there all along. I'm going to re-read TPD and find out ... I hope to god I'm wrong.
October 22, 2020
Having loved the first book in the Little Bridge Island series by Meg Cabot, I was sure I would be enamored with the newest addition, No Offense. Sadly, I was wrong. I really had to push myself to finish this relatively short, but largely cringe-worthy story. I must admit, it was absolutely ridiculous and the cause of a few well-rounded eye rolls. It wasn’t the cutesy, humorous, rom-com type of plot, though perhaps that was the aim, but a rather an immature, unbelievable version of such.
The characters were annoying, the dialogue was immature, and countless plot elements were utterly absurd. A restaurant that will kick you out if you use your cell phone, or a grown man riddled with embarrassment over bringing a pie to a woman as an apology. Some lines were stilted and awkward, such as, “Molly felt an earthquake. Since they weren’t on a fault line, it must be in her head.” Others were ludicrous, “We will live by eating fruit off of trees and washing diapers in the sea”. The main male character’s parenting skills were laughable and out of touch...If you post a kissy face photo, you’re inviting predators...🤨
And the younger male character’s behavior was reprehensible.
So, not the finest hours of my life spent reading this book, but hopefully others can laugh with it (at it?) and find it quirky and enjoyable.
The characters were annoying, the dialogue was immature, and countless plot elements were utterly absurd. A restaurant that will kick you out if you use your cell phone, or a grown man riddled with embarrassment over bringing a pie to a woman as an apology. Some lines were stilted and awkward, such as, “Molly felt an earthquake. Since they weren’t on a fault line, it must be in her head.” Others were ludicrous, “We will live by eating fruit off of trees and washing diapers in the sea”. The main male character’s parenting skills were laughable and out of touch...If you post a kissy face photo, you’re inviting predators...🤨
And the younger male character’s behavior was reprehensible.
So, not the finest hours of my life spent reading this book, but hopefully others can laugh with it (at it?) and find it quirky and enjoyable.
June 11, 2020
DNF at about 25%.
I think Meg Cabot is excellent at writing YA in which her characters’ chemistry sizzles. Somehow, in writing adult characters and romance, that falls flat.
The characters were thinly drawn, and the world they existed in, which Cabot has written some other books about, seems so much like a bubblegum fantasy that it’s almost entirely unappealing.
The characters were archetypes with no quirks, written with no specifics. It was just librarian wears cardigans and meets cop with blue eyes. It seemed very hetero romance novel from 2008, and we've moved so far past that in the genre that I just wish there had been more. More personality, more specificity, more chemistry.
I love romance novels, and the best books of the genre are emotional and charismatic and specific and raw. This was not that.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy, and thank you to Meg Cabot for venturing into adult romance. I'm excited to see what she does next.
I think Meg Cabot is excellent at writing YA in which her characters’ chemistry sizzles. Somehow, in writing adult characters and romance, that falls flat.
The characters were thinly drawn, and the world they existed in, which Cabot has written some other books about, seems so much like a bubblegum fantasy that it’s almost entirely unappealing.
The characters were archetypes with no quirks, written with no specifics. It was just librarian wears cardigans and meets cop with blue eyes. It seemed very hetero romance novel from 2008, and we've moved so far past that in the genre that I just wish there had been more. More personality, more specificity, more chemistry.
I love romance novels, and the best books of the genre are emotional and charismatic and specific and raw. This was not that.
Thank you to NetGalley for the copy, and thank you to Meg Cabot for venturing into adult romance. I'm excited to see what she does next.
November 9, 2020
Sigh.
Okay, I loved the first book in this series. It was fun and light and sort of spicy. This one was...so different. The MCs were so irritating and in a constant battle. I’m surprised they fell in love, tbh. I don’t know how it happened when one minute they were fighting and the next, they were suddenly attracted to each other. Both were frustrating and it sometimes felt like they were just fighting to add length and drama to the book.
The mystery was OK but there were no real twists and no sense of suspense. One of my favourite books is SIZE TWELVE IS NOT FAT by Meg Cabot and THAT was a good, fun, and spicy mystery.
The spice level on this one was like 3/10 because there was one moment of spice but it wasn’t even...I don’t even know.
Anyway, the first book was fun and this one was disappointing.
Happy reading!
Okay, I loved the first book in this series. It was fun and light and sort of spicy. This one was...so different. The MCs were so irritating and in a constant battle. I’m surprised they fell in love, tbh. I don’t know how it happened when one minute they were fighting and the next, they were suddenly attracted to each other. Both were frustrating and it sometimes felt like they were just fighting to add length and drama to the book.
The mystery was OK but there were no real twists and no sense of suspense. One of my favourite books is SIZE TWELVE IS NOT FAT by Meg Cabot and THAT was a good, fun, and spicy mystery.
The spice level on this one was like 3/10 because there was one moment of spice but it wasn’t even...I don’t even know.
Anyway, the first book was fun and this one was disappointing.
Happy reading!
June 8, 2020
Review coming soon
November 16, 2020
This is an entertaining, fast paced, well-written, humorous, steamy, contemporary romance. It has many laugh out loud moments, likable, engaging characters, wit, mystery, a heart-warming romance, and a happily ever after ending. This is the third entry in Ms. Cabot's outstanding Little Bridge Island series, and can easily be read and enjoyed as a stand alone.
September 21, 2020
A children's librarian and a sheriff living on a tourist-heavy Florida key come together after someone abandons a baby in the library bathroom. Romance ensues, aided with pie.
This was the fluff I needed on a difficult Friday, but it isn't quite as satisfying as it could be because there isn't enough conflict! The fights the two characters were rather unbelievable, but their chemistry was solid... unfortunately the mystery to solve wasn't strong enough to make up for the easy romance. I liked the setting of a renamed Key West, because that would be an interesting place to be a public librarian.
I had a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley; it came out August 11.
This was the fluff I needed on a difficult Friday, but it isn't quite as satisfying as it could be because there isn't enough conflict! The fights the two characters were rather unbelievable, but their chemistry was solid... unfortunately the mystery to solve wasn't strong enough to make up for the easy romance. I liked the setting of a renamed Key West, because that would be an interesting place to be a public librarian.
I had a copy of this from the publisher through NetGalley; it came out August 11.
October 25, 2020
This was so cute, and the library parts were super accurate!
August 11, 2022
These books are SO DARLING. (Well, it's Meg Cabot, what did I expect, right?)
Very sexy, but also very fun, with a mystery, and plenty of humor. This time the small Florida town/island of Little Bridge is beset by a seemingly lazy thief, who breaks in only when the doors are unlocked, and takes only the few things they can easily grab and resell. But then there's the mystery of the BABY. And of course, the sheriff, being a single man, is not immune to the charms of the also librarian, who just wants to help solve the crimes!
Very sexy, but also very fun, with a mystery, and plenty of humor. This time the small Florida town/island of Little Bridge is beset by a seemingly lazy thief, who breaks in only when the doors are unlocked, and takes only the few things they can easily grab and resell. But then there's the mystery of the BABY. And of course, the sheriff, being a single man, is not immune to the charms of the also librarian, who just wants to help solve the crimes!
April 5, 2021
Wow guys I hated this one, mainly because the main female protagonist is a children's librarian and the ideas and thoughts she has made me so mad.
A child is abandoned in a bathroom and the librarian doesn't want the parent to be held accountable for abandoning the child - even though she has no idea who left the child. A teenager interrupts her program with lewd comments (a program for toddlers) and she doesn't even seem to have the rationale for getting the teenager out of the situation and talking with him about why this is inappropriate behavior, despite the fact that she has been a librarian for several years in an urban environment?
Ugh, there was just *so much* that bugged me about this book, not just with the librarian part, but definitely that part had a huge influence to my dislike of the book.
A child is abandoned in a bathroom and the librarian doesn't want the parent to be held accountable for abandoning the child - even though she has no idea who left the child. A teenager interrupts her program with lewd comments (a program for toddlers) and she doesn't even seem to have the rationale for getting the teenager out of the situation and talking with him about why this is inappropriate behavior, despite the fact that she has been a librarian for several years in an urban environment?
Ugh, there was just *so much* that bugged me about this book, not just with the librarian part, but definitely that part had a huge influence to my dislike of the book.
June 2, 2020
DNF at 45%
I just, I can't. It's so bad. There's something in the tone of it that I just can't get past, and the characters are annoying in their descriptions of each other - who calls the other person halfway through the book "the librarian" instead of their name? And who doesn't know what corn hole is??? I haven't read the first book in this series, so I don't know if I'm just not used to the way the series is written, or if it's along the same style. I love her Princess Diaries series and some of her other adult novels, but this one was just painful.
I just, I can't. It's so bad. There's something in the tone of it that I just can't get past, and the characters are annoying in their descriptions of each other - who calls the other person halfway through the book "the librarian" instead of their name? And who doesn't know what corn hole is??? I haven't read the first book in this series, so I don't know if I'm just not used to the way the series is written, or if it's along the same style. I love her Princess Diaries series and some of her other adult novels, but this one was just painful.
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